


Risk Taker

by Animedemon01



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Mentions of Cancer, meningitis, trey has issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26665027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animedemon01/pseuds/Animedemon01
Summary: Trey Sterling had always been a risk taker, so it was no surprise he took risks with his health, as well.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	Risk Taker

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long, I've been busy with school and it came out way longer than I thought it would.

Trey Sterling had felt perfectly fine when he stepped on to the private jet with his father. Okay, maybe just a bit hungover from the night of partying after his last victory, but nothing he wasn’t used to. In fact, this wasn’t even close to the worst he’d ever felt boarding a plane to his next race. Trey wasn’t the best at keeping himself in check and had a habit of occasionally binge drinking to the point he felt like death the next morning. The previous night, however, he had stopped drinking at a reasonable time, so the hangover was fairly mild.

After the flight, however, was a different story. The hangover should have long since subsided, but Trey still had a bit of a headache that just didn’t want to go away. Coupled with the sore throat and tiredness he was currently experiencing; Trey was worried he might be getting the flu.

That was something he most certainly didn’t want to happen. Not only did he not want to be sick (although he could certainly deal with racing while not in his best condition), but he knew his father would absolutely forbid him from racing if he showed obvious signs of illness, and he would be stuck in his bedroom watching his competitors on TV instead of getting to be part of the action.

After losing his wife to childbirth complications, and almost losing Trey to childhood leukemia, Mr. Sterling was more than a little protective of his son. After the incident in the UAE, he didn’t allow Trey to race for almost six months, afraid that the incident would further affect Trey’s mental health. Trey was actually surprised that his father even let him race again at all after the incident.

Trey got sick a bit more often than his competition, which did have a slight impact on his career as a racer, but this issue was mostly remedied by his natural talent and access to better cars thanks to his fathers wealth and connections. Due to having his spleen removed as part of the cancer treatments when he was younger, Trey was much more prone to infection than the average person, a fact he did his best to keep a secret. Whenever Trey had to drop out of a race due to illness, he would usually make up some other reason on social media.

Trey kept it a secret that he’d had leukemia as a child. He wanted his public image to be about him and his skills as a driver, not some sap piece about a kid who survived cancer and later went on to achieve his dreams. He didn’t want to be seen as a hero or an inspiration for surviving a disease when he was still too young to remember much of what was going on; he wanted to be known as a skilled racer who went far not only because he came from money, but because he was talented in his own right.

By nature, Trey was a risk taker. He knew his profession was dangerous, but he didn’t care. One miscalculated turn, one loose bolt overlooked by his mechanic, anything really, could cause a devastating crash. Trey had crashed before, many times, but he had always gotten back up. Of course, he knew there could always be a time when he didn’t, but that didn’t bother him. And if he were so fine with risking his safety, then why would his health be any different?

Trey wasn’t exactly feeling great when he stepped off the plane, but he didn’t let it show, and his father certainly didn’t seem to notice.

“Son, I have a business meeting and won’t be back to the hotel until late.” Mr. Sterling told him. “I have arranged a driver to transport you around the city for the rest of the day, and your key to the hotel suite will be waiting at the front desk for you. Have fun, but please try not to stay out too late; you have a very busy day ahead of you tomorrow.”

Trey never drove himself around when he was off the track. The cars he used weren’t exactly street legal, and Mr. Sterling decided that Trey was a bit too impulsive to be allowed to drive among normal people, especially after the road rage incident the last time.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine dad; I slept on the plane so that I wouldn’t be tired tomorrow.”

Trey had a reputation as a bit of a partier, so he could understand where his dad was coming from. Normally, he would stay out pretty late and visit a few bars or clubs before returning home, but tonight he just wasn’t feeling up to his normal nightlife routine, and was just planning on playing video games back at the hotel and going to bed early, hoping this illness of his would blow over with some rest. Of, course, he wasn’t about to tell his father this, as it would most certainly end in a trip to a doctor and Trey not being cleared to race.

Mr. Sterling sighed. He was used to Trey’s behavior, and was trying his best to remedy it, but so far, his efforts had been far from fruitful. “Trey, I understand that you’re an adult and can make your own decisions, but I want you to try and do what’s best for your health. I won’t be out of the meeting until after eleven at night, and I’m hoping you’ll at least be back at the hotel by then. All these late nights might affect your performance if you keep it up. I have to go, see you later, son.”

Trey responded with only a nod, but his father seemed satisfied and left without another word.

Trey found the driver he had been told about waiting for him outside. He instructed the man to simply take him to the hotel and that the driver could take the rest of the night off, as Trey wasn’t planning on going anywhere else.

He had been planning to order a pizza or something for dinner, but after heading up to the hotel suite he would be sharing with his father, he found he didn’t have much of an appetite, and decided to forgo dinner altogether. He didn’t really feel like going through the effort of hooking up his X-Box to the TV, either so he ended up just heading into one of the hotel suites two bedrooms and going to sleep.

Even Trey knew how out of character his own behavior that evening was, but he did his best to ignore it. He figured that maybe if he didn’t give this apparent illness any attention, it would just go away on its own.

Trey wasn’t woken up by his phone alarm the next day, but by his father knocking at the bedroom door. He had meant to set his phone alarm before going to sleep the previous night but had been too tired to remember.

“Son, its time to get up!” Shouted Mr. Sterling. “You have to be at the track in an hour, and you need to get ready.”

Trey groaned, not really wanting to get up. “I’m coming, just give me a second!”

Trey had thought sleeping would help, but if anything, he actually felt worse than he did the day before. Despite getting more sleep than he usually did, he still felt tired. His body was sore to the point walking was fairly uncomfortable, and he was feeling nauseated, all without a logical cause.

At this point, Trey was certain he was sick, but he wasn’t going to tell his father. At least until after he was done with the race, anyways. It was probably just the flu and not anything serious, so he wasn’t really worried about it. He got sick all the time, so why would this be any different?

The ride to the track was a quiet one as usual. Mr. Sterling was trying to get some work done while he had a second, and Trey was just absentmindedly staring out the window as the scenery passed by. He had honestly traveled to so many places around the world during his lifetime that they all seemed to blend together.

As they parked at the track, and Trey headed in the direction of his trailer, he noticed a very familiar pair of redheads, making his already sour mood even worse. Trey had enough going on right now already, and now he would have to deal with those two.

“What are you even doing here?” He asked, glaring at Zack. “I don’t think this city even has an amateur track.”

Zack narrowed his eyes. “If you must know, asshole, I’ll be racing you today. I live here in San Diego now, and I have my own car, so I’m here all the time. I’m really excited to have the chance to kick your ass once again.”

“Zack, it isn’t worth it!” Ivy called. “If this escalates, and one of you gets kicked out for fighting, we both know its not going to be Sterling. Come back over here before I have to drag you away from him.”

Zack shot Trey a glare. “I guess I’ll let my racing skills do the talking; see you on the track. I’ve beaten you so many times, so who really is the amateur, you bastard, huh?”

“Knock it off, idiot!” Ivy warned. “This is your final chance to get over here on your own before I come over there and drag you by your ear, all in front of Sterling.”

Trey would have loved to see something like that. Normally, he would have made a rude comment towards Zack again, but he wasn’t feeling up to that, so instead he just shot the two a silent glare and continued on his way to his trailer.

Any lingering thoughts of dropping out of the race at the last minute due to his illness had disappeared. He had to race and beat Zack, just to show that he was still the better racer. He assured himself that any victories Zack had gained against him before were just beginners’ luck, and this time he’d take him down for sure.

By the time the race was about to start, Trey felt even worse. He was extremely tired and sore, and just felt terrible all over. His headache had worsened, no thanks to the bright sun, and he was surprised that he’d managed to go so long without throwing up from the nausea. His neck had begun to stiffen up for some reason, but he figured that was unrelated and that he must have slept on it wrong.

But he just had to win this race, and it would all be over. He didn’t have any other races scheduled for a few weeks which would be more than enough time to recover. He just had to win this one and show Zack he was still the better racer, then he would be able to stop hiding his illness from his father and actually get some rest.

Trey was feeling a bit weak as he sat in his car, waiting for the race to start, but when he noticed Zack’s car a few lanes to the left, his adrenaline returned, and all he wanted to do was win, and prove to everyone-Zack, Mr. Sterling, and himself-that he had always been the better racer.

As the race was about to begin, he shot Zack a glare. Then, just like that, they were off. Trey took some turns faster than he should have, and at least once during the race, he was pretty sure he managed to get his car on two wheels, but none of that mattered. All of his risks panned out, and he finished the race in first.

Trey knew he should’ve felt proud of his victory, but he was too sick to enjoy it. After driving over to the pit area, he was barely able to make it out of his car before being violently sick. His only solace was that the public and press weren’t allowed back here, so at least his embarrassment wouldn’t be broadcasted all over the news.

Mr. Sterling, who had been watching from the pit area’s TV monitors while working on his laptop, ran over to his son’s side when he saw what was happening. Ivy, who had been chatting with Mr. Sterling, also ran over to see what was going on and if Trey was okay, and when Zack’s car pulled in soon after, he also got out of his car and walked over to where Trey was.

This was not how Trey would have liked his rivals to see him. Last time they had met, they’d found him tied up in his trailer, stripped down to his underwear, and this time they got to watch him puking his guts out after a race.

“Son, are you okay?” His father asked him with concern when Trey had finally stopped vomiting. “Should I go get one of the track medics to take a look at you? I know you don’t like doctors, but its very important that we stay on top of your health, especially since-“

“Dad, I’m fine!” Lied Trey. “I just ate something that didn’t agree with me last night, and now I’m paying the price. I probably just need to get some rest, and then I’ll feel better.”

Zack and Ivy were the last people Trey wanted to know about his childhood leukemia. Even if they didn’t go blabbing to the media like he was sure they would-he didn’t know where they got the money for the fancy new car, but he was pretty sure they were still hurting for cash like they were when they first started-it would still give Zack something to hold over Trey’s head. Trey’s body wasn’t as strong as it could have been due to the toll of the leukemia and chemo on his body at such a delicate stage of growth, and it was a weakness he hated about himself. Zack seemed to have no such problem; the redhead always seemed to be the picture of health.

Mr. Sterling was certain his son was not well, but he knew he had to trust Trey to make adult decisions on his own. “Alright, Trey, if you say that’s all it is, I should respect your decision, but please try not to overdue it today, and if you’re still feeling sick later on, you can visit the track medic or I can have a private doctor come to the hotel, whatever you prefer.”

Trey really hated the way his father treated him sometimes. He wasn’t a little kid anymore, and at the age of 21, he could certainly make his own decisions.

“Really, dad, I’m fine.” He said again. “I just want to go to my trailer, get changed out of this disgusting suit, and get some rest. I’ll meet you back at the hotel in an hour or so.”

In his haste to get out of his car, and not ruin his upholstery, Trey had managed to practically cover the front of his racing suit in his own vomit. He knew that he would probably have to throw the thing away, but he had plenty more suits, and this was far from the first one he had ruined (of course, he usually ruined them with his own blood after taking too much of a risk and crashing horribly).

Mr. Sterling simply nodded. “Okay, Trey, see you later. I’ll go ahead and cancel that meet and greet session you had with your fans. Feel better.”

Trey had completely forgotten about that. As much has he enjoyed the attention of his admirers (he had an official fanclub and everything), he really did not feel up to even attempt to put on a happy face and talk to them. Of course, he knew there would be a lot of speculation on what happened when the announcement that he was ill and had to cancel came out, but it wasn’t his job to deal with those sorts of things.

He glanced back at Zack and Ivy, before heading off to his trailer. Mr. Sterling then said his goodbyes to Zack and Ivy, and headed off as well, presumably to head back to the hotel.

After they were alone again, Ivy turned to her brother.

“I’m actually kinda worried about Trey.” She told him. “Even before your race, he didn’t really seem himself; he’s usually a bit more aggressive with his insults, and he didn’t seem to have his usual energy, either.”

Zack shrugged. “Knowing Trey, he’s probably just hungover or something. I wouldn’t worry about it; that asshole can take care of himself.”

“Zack, he might be really sick.” Argued Ivy. “We really should check on him and make sure he’s not dying.”

Zack was usually thankful for Ivy’s big sister instincts when it came to him and the rest of the team, but not now. After all, Trey wasn’t their responsibility, and he had never exactly been nice to the two siblings.

Zack rolled his eyes, knowing his sister wasn’t going to drop the issue too easily. “Fine, but when we get yelled at and it turns out to be nothing, I’m blaming you.”

“Okay, but when we save his life because it turns out something _is_ wrong, I’m taking all the credit.”

Upon getting back to his trailer, Trey changed into a pair of jeans, a tshirt, and a hoodie he had packed to change into for the meet and greet. He tossed his dirty racing suit into the trash, figuring that at this point, it probably wasn’t able to be saved.

After getting changed and closing the curtains of his trailer so that the sunlight would cease to cause him any more pain, Trey was getting ready to take a nap on the small couch before he headed back to his hotel suite. His head was absolutely killing him, he still felt incredibly nauseous, and his entire body felt stiff and sore, particularly his neck. He had taken an ibuprofen, but it didn’t seem to be helping.

Trey was suddenly startled by a knocking at his trailer door, a sound that only served to exacerbate the pounding in his head. Grabbing a pair of sunglasses to help block out some of the light, he made his way over to the door. Trey was expecting to see the worried face of his father, a track medic coming to check in on him, or even a reporter that had managed to slip past security. What he did not expect to see was the two siblings that always seemed to cause him annoyance.

Normally, Trey would’ve slammed the door in their faces, but he found it extremely odd that they would be at his trailer in the first place, especially now.

“What do you two amateurs want?” He demanded. “Make it quick before I call security and have you banned permanently from this track. Places make a lot of money when I make my appearance, so its in their best interest to make me want to come back, even if it involves banning some nobody who races here regularly.”

Zack rolled his eyes. “Hey, this wasn’t my idea at all. My sister was worried about you, she thinks something might be really wrong with you. What’s with the sunglasses?”

Ivy was worried about him? Trey was certain both of the redheads hated him. Why would they be worried about him enough to check up on him? This had to be some kind of trick. Maybe they were with the media and were using this as a bizarre attempt at getting an interview.

“Its none of your business why I’m wearing sunglasses, and especially none of your business with what’s wrong with me.” He growled. “The media can fuck off.”

Ivy spoke up. “We’re not with the media. We’re genuinely worried about you and think you should-“

Trey slammed the door in their faces, like he should have done from the start. He was fine; this was just the flu, and he would get over it without having to see a doctor. He just needed to get some rest.

Laying down on the couch, Trey closed his eyes, hoping some sleep would cure him.

After having the door slammed in his face, Zack was ready to give up and go home.

“Well, sis, we tried.” He said, turning to Ivy. “If he’s too stubborn to worry about his own health, that’s his problem. We should go see if Carm needs us at home.”

Ivy wasn’t so ready to quit. She knew something was wrong with Trey and was certain it was a serious matter. He needed to see a doctor as soon as possible, and one way or the other, they were going to have to convince him to do so.

“We have to find Mr. Sterling.” She told him. “He can convince Trey to actually go to the hospital a lot better than we can. I’m going to call Player and see if he can track him down.”

“I don’t get why you’re so worried about him.” Said Zack. “We both know that if the roles were switched, Trey wouldn’t care about us.”

“Just because he wouldn’t do the same for us, doesn’t mean we have to be petty about it, or that we can’t be the good guys.” Replied Ivy. “What if Trey ended dying in his trailer because of how sick he was, and we made the decision to do nothing? How would you feel then, bro?”

Zack wasn’t sure exactly how he felt. He hated Trey, but he certainly didn’t want him to die. Of course, if it turned out to be nothing, and they went through the effort of tracking down Mr. Sterling for no reason at all, then they would have wasted their time, and would probably end up getting yelled at by Trey. But it was better to be safe than sorry, so they had to do the right thing.

Zack sighed. “Guess we’re calling Player.”

It took Player just under half an hour to track Mr. Sterling to the outdoor seating area of a café downtown where it was currently working on his computer, and it took Zack and Ivy less than fifteen minutes to drive there.

After parking the car, they speed walked over to the café’s outdoor seating area. Upon seeing them, Mr. Sterling gave them a polite nod.

“Zack, Ivy, it’s always a pleasure to see you. Getting lunch after the race, I see.” He said before noticing the urgency in their expressions. “You two look tense, is everything okay?”

“We’re really worried about Trey.” Ivy told him. “I think he might be seriously ill, but he doesn’t seem willing to go to a doctor. He’s your son; you have to convince him to see a doctor before he ends up dying.”

Mr. Sterling frowned. “I would like to think Trey would come to me and let me know when he’s ill, but he’s been weird about telling me _anything_ since around the time he turned sixteen. I’ll give him a call to see where he is and have him meet me back at the hotel so I can call a private doctor to determine if he needs to go to the hospital or not.”

Mr. Sterling pulled out his phone, selecting his son’s number from his long list of contacts. The phone rang a couple of times before going to voicemail. Thinking Trey might just be momentarily busy, he tried again, then a third time, getting the same results.

“That’s odd; he usually either picks up or I get sent straight to voicemail.” He told the redheads. “I don’t think he’s purposely ignoring my calls, since I doubt he would just let it ring on repeat, and he always has his phone on his, so he probably didn’t leave it somewhere and not here it ring. I’m almost certain something is wrong, but I have no means of contacting him.”

“Maybe we should go to the track and look for him.” Suggested Zack. “He was still in his trailer the last time we saw him, and if he actually is really sick, he probably hasn’t gone far.”

Mr. Sterling gave a nod. “That’s probably our best option right now. I’ll call a taxi to bring us there.

“There’s no need for that.” Replied Zack. “We took my Jeep here, and while its not as fast as my race car, it will get us to the track much faster than a taxi.”

Mr. Sterling hoped Zack was a better street driver than Trey was.

They got to the racing track in record time. Zack had resisted the urge to speed, knowing it would take them even longer to reach Trey if they were pulled over by the police, but with the help of some side streets and parking lots, he was able to legally make it there in no time at all.

When they arrived at the track, Mr. Sterling practically ran to Trey’s trailer, wanting to check on his ill son as soon as possible. But when he knocked on the door, he received no response. Assuming Trey had fallen asleep, he knocked even harder, loud enough to wake any sleeping person, but still got no response.

“Son, are you alright in there?” He called, again getting no answer. “Trey, I’m coming in!”

Trey never bothered to lock his trailer door due to the area it was in being so restrictive, so Mr. Sterling didn’t have to fumble to find the right key. He thrust open the door and flicked on the lights, illuminating the dark interior. Trey was nowhere to be seen.

Mr. Sterling looked around desperately, searching for any sign of his son. The trailer wasn’t huge, so if Trey was in there, he wouldn’t have many places to hide. The bathroom door was also open, so he wasn’t in there, either. The only sign that he’d been in his trailer was his cell phone left on the table, displaying a few missed calls from Mr. Sterling’s attempts to reach him.

Mr. Sterling was getting incredibly worried; this wasn’t like Trey at all. Sure, he would sometimes disappear without saying where he was going, but he would never leave his phone behind. If he had actually managed to forget the device when leaving, something must be very wrong.

“I’m going to see if anyone knows where Trey has gone.” He told Zack and Ivy. “You two stay here in case he comes back.”

Mr. Sterling frantically searched the area, asking everyone he came across if they had seen Trey. The track medic hadn’t seen him, and neither had any of his pit crew. Eventually he did find someone who had seen Trey. According to one of the security guards, Trey had requested a taxi be called to bring him back to his hotel, as he wasn’t feeling well.

“As far as I can tell, he’s at the hotel we were staying at.” He told Zack and Ivy. “I need you to drive me there since you’re much faster than a taxi. Trey never goes anywhere without his phone, so I am extremely worried about his wellbeing.”

“Of course, we will.” Said Zack. “We wouldn’t want him dying while you’re standing here waiting around for a cab.”

Ivy elbowed her brother. She appreciated him being a bit more serious about the situation, but he didn’t have to be so morbid.

After they arrived at the hotel, Zack and Ivy followed Mr. Sterling inside and into the elevator. They didn’t know why they felt the need to check on Trey any further, but Mr. Sterling didn’t ask them to leave, so they stayed.

They found the hotel suite to be completely dark, but the hoodie Trey had been wearing earlier had been haphazardly tossed on to the couch in front of the TV located in the small living room area between the two bedrooms, and his shoes were by the door, so it was clear he’d at least made it back there.

Mr. Sterling quickly checked one of the bedrooms, while Zack and Ivy checked the other, both coming up empty. Setting his sights on the bathroom, the only place Trey could still be, Mr. Sterling tried the door, only to find it locked.

“Trey, are you okay?” He called, pounding loudly on the door. “Son, I know you’re in there! Answer me!”

Trey didn’t respond. Fearing for his son’s safety, Mr. Sterling knew he would have to take drastic action. He wasn’t the strongest or fittest man in the world, but flowing with adrenaline, he rammed his entire body at the door, breaking the lock and allowing the door to fly open.

They found Trey curled up on the bathroom floor next to the toilet in fetal position, obviously in a lot of pain. His body was covered in a rash they knew he didn’t have earlier, and while he didn’t seem fully unconscious, he also didn’t appear to be fully aware of what was going on. Mr. Sterling immediately ran over to his son, pulling him into his arms.

“He’s burning up! Call an ambulance!” He shouted to Zack and Ivy before turning back to Trey. “Trey, can you hear me? Come on, son, I can’t lose you now.”

Trey didn’t give much of a reaction, only a groan.

As Zack was turning to his phone to dial 911, Trey suddenly began to convulse. Mr. Sterling, not knowing exactly what to do, did his best to hold his son still. He knew you normally weren’t supposed to try and hold someone who was having a seizure, but in the bathroom he was very limited in his ability to move things out of the way, and didn’t want Trey hitting his head on the bathtub or something.

Zack was startled by what was happening in front of him, but quickly turned his attention back to his phone, dialing 911 and filling the operator in on the situation.

Thankfully, after only a few minutes, Trey stopped convulsing and fell limp in his father’s arms. He appeared to be fully unconscious at this point, not responding at all. Zack finished up his phone call not long after.

“They’re sending an ambulance; it should be less than ten minutes.” He informed them. “Ivy and I will wait downstairs for the ambulance to make sure the paramedics go to the right room. The operator said to try and keep Trey on his side for now and try to time any more seizures if they occur.”

“Stop!” Called Mr. Sterling. “I need to thank you two before you leave. Right now, I’m not sure if Trey will be okay, but thanks to you, he actually has a fighting chance. If you hadn’t informed me of his condition, I may have come back this evening to find him dead, so thank you. I will make sure to call you later if there are any updates in his condition.”

Ivy gave a nod. “Well, we couldn’t just let him die. We’re sorry that this has happened to you two, but please keep us updated.”

After they were out of earshot, Zack turned to his sister.

“As much as I hate his guts, I really hope he doesn’t die.”

Zack and Ivy watched as the paramedics rushed into the elevator with a stretcher, and a few minutes later, wheeled Trey through the hotel lobby and into the ambulance with Mr. Sterling following close behind.

Somehow the blonde looked even worse than he did a few minutes ago. They had hooked him up to an IV, and his mouth and nose were both now covered by an oxygen mask. He even appeared to be a bit paler than before. Zack and Ivy watch as the paramedics loaded Trey into the ambulance and drove away.

Zack and Ivy had tried to go out for a while to clear their heads, but apparently some reporter got a tip that not only were they seen with Mr. Sterling earlier that day, but they had been in the hotel lobby when the ambulance took Trey away. Seeing this as an opportunity to get an exclusive story, the reporter followed them and tried to get them to tell him about what had happened. Zack too great pleasure in telling the man to fuck off, but Ivy decided it would be best for them to go home before someone else decided to bother them.

They didn’t hear from Mr. Sterling again until early the next morning. Ivy, who was the only one up at the time (besides Shadow-San, who was out on an early morning run), so she was the one to pick up the phone.

“Hello?” She answered. “It’s a little early to be calling people, ya know. Who is this?”

 _“Its Sterling.”_ He replied, sounding a bit tired, likely from being in the hospital with Trey all night. _“I’m sorry for calling so early, and I hope I didn’t wake you up, but they just found out what’s wrong with Trey; he has meningitis.”_

Ivy had a vague idea of what meningitis was from back when she was in high school and learned about it. she couldn’t remember the specifics of the disease but knew it could be very painful and deadly. She would never forget the image they showed the class of a woman having a long needle stuck into her spine to test for it.

“Is he okay?” She asked. “He seemed really sick yesterday, and I know meningitis can be a dangerous disease.”

Mr. Sterling paused for a moment. _“The doctor’s said he has a very good chance of survival, especially for someone with his condition. Trey doesn’t like me telling people about this for some reason, but he had cancer when he was very young, and because of that, his immune system is not the best. Because of this he gets sick a lot, so even though he’s up to date on his meningitis vaccine, he still got it._

_“Sometimes I think that I shouldn’t let him race-he’s had a few bad crashes in the past, and all the travel is a lot on his already weak immune system-but he absolutely loves the sport and I’m sure it would destroy him if I barred him from driving. I’m afraid he’ll leave if I forbid him from racing, and well, I honestly don’t think Trey can take care of himself, even at his age.”_

Ivy understood that Mr. Sterling was probably under a lot of stress due to the situation, needed to vent to someone, and she was the first person available. She knew that he was a single father and may have already come close to losing Trey in the past, so she really felt back for him. Mr. Sterling losing his son would be like Ivy losing Zack, and she knew she’d be in a much worse state if she was the one potentially losing her only remaining family member.

“I’m sorry about everything you’re having to deal with.” She told him. “I really think Trey has a good chance of survival. He seems, well, too stubborn to die young.”

Mr. Sterling gave a light chuckle. _“That’s my boy; too strong willed for his own good, just like his mother was. I have to go and talk to some of the doctors, but I’ll call you back later when I get an update on Trey’s condition. Maybe when he’s doing better you and Zack can come see him.”_

“Okay then, bye.” Replied Ivy.

Even if she and Zack didn’t particularly like Trey, Mr. Sterling was a really nice guy. Ivy knew that if Zack was the one in the hospital, he’d be the first one calling to check in on the two of them. They were going to have to visit Trey in the hospital, and somehow, she would have to convince Zack to go as well.

Trey couldn’t remember much of what had happened over the last day or so, and he certainly had no idea why the hell he’d woken up in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of monitors and tubes. Had he been in another crash? No, that didn’t seem too likely since he wasn’t covered in bandages. He was still in a lot of pain, however, but he couldn’t link it back to a single source, rather his entire body seemed to be hurting.

Trey did recall feeling ill earlier on, but he figured there was no way these two things could be connected. He assumed he’d had the flu, but the flu didn’t send you to a hospital. At least not this quickly, anyways. Maybe he’d gotten drugged at a bar and ended up in an ambulance after falling unconscious. He’d had that sort of thing happen to him once before-he’d narrowed down the possibilities to a crazed fan, someone’s sick idea of a joke, or even some creep mistaking his drink for belonging to someone else-and he knew that it would account for his memory being so hazy.

Looking around, he suddenly noticed a tube running down his throat. Normally, he would’ve noticed something like this much earlier, but thanks to the pain and the general confusion, it had simply slipped him by. His natural instinct was, of course, to pull the foreign object out, but he knew better and instead pressed the button to call the nurse.

A few minutes later, a nurse walked into his hospital room. She seemed slightly surprised to see his awake already.

“You’re already awake. We thought you’d be out a while longer.” She told him. “I’ll call the doctor in to examine you and explain everything that’s going on, and I’ll have someone locate your father as well.”

With an annoyed glare, Trey pointed at his ventilator tube. While it hadn’t been bothering him when he’d first awoken, now that he knew it was there, it was all he could think about. The sensation of having the tube down his throat made him want to vomit.

The nurse gave him a sympathetic glance. “Sorry, honey; I know the ventilator’s not fun, but there’s nothing I can do about it. When the doctor comes in, we’ll see if you can be switched over to receiving oxygen nasally.”

He rolled his eyes at her but didn’t push the issue further.

After having the tube removed (the doctor concluded that he could breathe well enough on his own to only need minimal oxygen assistance), Trey’s throat was incredibly sore. Because of how sick he was, he hadn’t been allowed any water, but he’d been given some ice chips to suck on in order to keep him hydrated and help his throat.

He had been looked over by a doctor, and his father had come back to his hospital room not long after, but Trey still had more questions than answers.

“What happened?” He asked, his voice extremely hoarse. “Did I have another crash?”

“Son, try and save your energy.” Said Mr. Sterling. “You almost died.”

“I just want to know what happened to me.” He repeated. “Did I have another crash, or what?”

“You didn’t have a crash, but you’re very lucky to be not only alive, but free of brain damage as far as we can tell?” Said the doctor.

Brain damage? Had he hit his head somewhere? That would explain why he couldn’t remember what had happened.

“If I didn’t crash, how did I hit my head?” He questioned.

“Trey, just let the doctor explain.” His father told him. “You’re still in bad shape, and we don’t want you tiring yourself out by talking.”

Trey was a normally vocal and extroverted person; he didn’t like to be silenced. But every word made the pain left behind from the ventilator tube worse, so he figured it was probably for the best. He shot the doctor a glare but allowed him to continue without any more interruptions.

“You have meningitis.” Said the doctor. “If you had gotten to the hospital even an hour later, you may not have made it, or at the very least, suffered brain damage from the swelling. We began treatment as soon as the tests confirmed your diagnosis. You will survive and shouldn’t suffer any long-term issues due to the disease.”

Trey was extremely relieved. When he’d woken up in the hospital, he was certain they were going to tell him that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Or at least, never walk again. It would be a while, but he’d be just fine.

“When will I be able to race again?” He rasped, totally forgetting that he wasn’t supposed to be talking.

“Its going to be a while.” He replied. “Even after you finish the antibiotics and leave the hospital, you should be on bed rest for a least a few weeks to a month. And I don’t want you doing anything overly physically taxing for three to four months.

“You really need to be more careful with your health. Your immune system isn’t as good as that of the average person, so you’re a lot some susceptible to diseases. Next time you have any symptoms of illness, I expect you to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

Trey was very much not going to do that. He hated dealing with doctors, and most of the time it turned out to be something as simple as a cold or the flu. He wasn’t going to waste his time just because of an isolated incident. He did survive, after all.

Mr. Sterling gave him son a light pat on the shoulder. “Try to rest, Trey. You will get much better much quicker if you relax. I’ll have somebody bring your things from the hotel room, and you can use your Xbox when you’re feeling a bit better.”

The doctor nodded. “We’ll leave so you can get some sleep.”

Trey was still in a fair amount of pain, but thanks to all the drugs they had given him, he was out like a light not long after.

After everything that had happened, Mr. Sterling was seriously reconsidering ever letting Trey race again. Trey was impulsive and never seemed to take his health or safety seriously, and this was not the first time he had raced while seriously ill. If he couldn’t trust his son to actually take care of himself, it might be time to intervene.

He would bring the issue up with Trey later, as he didn’t want to upset him when he was still so ill.

“Why do we even have to go visit that asshole is the hospital?” Asked Zack, already annoyed about having to get up before ten on a Saturday. “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but we don’t like him, and he sure as hell doesn’t like us.”

“We’re going because it’s the right thing to do.” Replied Ivy. “I know if anything ever happened to you, Mr. Sterling would be the first one calling to see how you were doing and to make sure I was okay. He’s a nice guy, and even if we’re not going for Trey, we should at least go for him.”

Zack let out an annoyed sigh but didn’t say anything else. Ivy had actually made him go out a get a card to give to Trey because she thought it would be tacky to show up to the hospital empty handed. While she was very specific about the type of card he was supposed to get, Zack managed to sneak under her radar with a card that said _Get Better_ instead of _Get Well_ , a very subtle dig at Trey’s skills as a racer.

When they arrived at the hospital, the place seemed to have an unusually high media presence. Zack and Ivy had been to that particular hospital before, and they’d never seen reporters or news vans surrounding it before. All the attention was most likely the result of Trey being somewhat of a celebrity, and his social media team not making much of an official statement, other than that he had fallen ill and had been rushed to the hospital.

Near the visitor’s entrance to the hospital stood a security guard. They were aware that the hospital had security guards for safety reasons, but they’d never seen one waiting outside of the entrance before. Again, this probably had to do with Trey.

“For the time being, nobody gets in here without showing me a valid ID.” Explained the guard. “That way, if we catch you causing issue on camera, it will be much easier to track you down and have you arrested. Am I making myself clear?”

Ivy nodded as she and Zack handed over their driver’s licenses. “Makes sense to me.”

After taking a quick photograph of each of their licenses, the guard wished them a nice day, and told them to stay out of trouble, not even bothering to ask why they were at the hospital in the first place.

As soon as they entered the hospital, Ivy went up to the reception desk.

“Hi, we’re here to visit a patient.” She told the receptionist. “His name is Trey Sterling.”

The receptionist looked incredibly annoyed. “Sorry, but to protect patient privacy, nobody is allowed to see or get any information about Trey Sterling without-“

“Its okay they’re with me.” They turned to see Mr. Sterling standing at the end of the corridor. “Zack! Ivy! It’s a pleasure to see you. I told Trey you were coming, but he’s been a bit irritable about being in the hospital, so I apologize in advance if he’s rude.”

Mr. Sterling never seemed to grasp that Trey didn’t get along well with Zack and Ivy. For some reason, he figured if he tried hard enough, he could get the three of them to actually be friends. Of course, the best that would probably happen was them not liking each other, but no longer hating each other.

“I apologize if you had any issues getting in.” He told them as they were heading in the direction of Trey’s room. “But we’ve had a bit of a problem with the media getting in here, and the last thing I need right now is Trey being stressed out by reporters.”

“That’s fair enough.” Replied Zack. “Reporters are basically vultures when it comes to anything involving celebrities of any kind.”

Mr. Sterling gave a nod. “Yesterday I even saw an online tabloid claiming Trey was in the hospital for plastic surgery. Honestly, I don’t understand how they’re allowed to publish these kinds of things and call it news.”

In a way, Zack was glad he’d never reached any real level of fame with his racing career. Sure, he sometimes wondered what it would be like to be aa famous driver with an army of fans, but things like this made him glad he wasn’t an icon. If reporters harassed him this much, he would probably end up in prison for killing one of them.

When they approached Trey’s hospital room, Mr. Sterling gave the door a knock.

“Son, we’re here, and we’re coming in.” He said, opening the door before Trey even had a chance to reply.

Inside the room, Trey was sitting up in bed, playing a racing game on his Xbox.

“Leave me alone.” He said, not turning his gaze from the TV. “I almost died, I’m tired, and I don’t want to talk to people right now, especially those two.”

“Now, Trey, I know you’re still not feeling great, but you can at least make an effort to try and be polite.” His father told him. “You’re not even supposed to be playing video game for more than two hours a day, anyways; the doctors are afraid that too much excitement might not be good for you right now. So, pause the game for a little while and talk to them.”

Trey rolled his eyes, but paused the game, anyways. “Fine, I’ll talk to them, but only for a little while.”

“Thanks, son, that’s all I need from you.” Replied Mr. Sterling, glancing at his watch. “I have a video call in half an hour, so I’m going to head back to the hotel for that. Do you think you’ll be okay here until I get back?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever, dad.”

At this point, Trey was used to his father pawning him off on other people in order to go off and work. During his childhood, it was usually nannies. Now, it was apparently Zack and Ivy.

After Mr. Sterling left, Trey turned to Zack and Ivy. “Dad told me everything already, that you basically saved my life. Thanks, I guess. You can leave whenever you want; no need to stay around and pity me just because I’m in the hospital.”

“Well, in that case, I’m getting out of here.” Said Zack. “I see no need to- wait a minute, is that Forza Motorsport 7? I’m amazing at that game; I could kick your ass at it any day.”

“Please, I’ve seen your performance on the track, and I doubt it would be any better virtually.” Replied Trey, handing Zack a controller. “But, if you think you have something to prove, I’m willing to beat you in Forza, too.”

“You’re on!”

Ivy chuckled. Knowing Zack, he would probably be there all day, or at least until the nurses kicked him out. Not wanting to wait around for that to happen, she took the opportunity to leave.

Zack, hated to admit it, but he was clearly being bested. He liked to think he was decent enough in Forza Motorsport 7, but Trey had won almost all of the races so far. Every time he lost, Zack was quick to demand a rematch, and they had been playing all day.

Suddenly, a nurse popped into the room. “Excuse me, sir, but visiting hours end in ten minutes, so you’ll have to leave.”

Zack looked at the clock. He’d come in in the late morning, and now it was almost six. He’d been here playing video games with his biggest rival all day. As much as Zack wanted to try and beat Trey a few more times, that wasn’t going to happen.

Putting down the controller, he shot one last glare at Trey. “Just so you know, this isn’t over. You may be able to beat me in video games but wait until we get back on the track together. You won’t have another lucky win next time.”

He was expected an insult, but the blonde simply grew quiet.

“What is it?” Demanded Zack. “You gonna make some joke about how I’ll never see you since you don’t race on the amateur track?”

“Can you just leave?” Snapped Trey. “I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, especially you.”

Trey was actually really out of character for some reason, and it was even obvious to Zack. Something was wrong and Zack wasn’t sure if it would be better to just leave or try and prod. Seeing things between him and Trey already weren’t the best, it decided to go for it.

“Dude, you’re acting really weird right now.” He told him. “You didn’t even make a joke about my racing abilities. What’s up?”

Trey didn’t want to tell Zack what was going on with him, but he really needed someone to vent to right now, and it wasn’t like he had many friends (at this point, Zack and Ivy were honestly the closest thing he had to friends, even if he rarely saw them and didn’t get along with them) that he could talk to either. He couldn’t talk this through with his father, considering Mr. Sterling _was_ the issue he needed to rant about, and he didn’t want to deal with his therapist right now either, so Zack seemed like his best option.

“Well, my dad is saying he wants me to cut my racing career short.” He admitted. “He thinks I don’t take my health seriously enough, and I’ve had a few crashes before, so he’s thinking I should retire. He’s already having me look at business schools so I can get a degree and work for his company in what he thinks would be a safer job.

“I cannot describe to you how much I do not want to do that. I mean you’re a racer, you know what its like. How would you feel if your sister suddenly told you that you had to quit for good?”

Zack felt for Trey, he really did. After joining Carmen there was a huge stretch of time where he didn’t get to race, and he missed it dearly. Now that they had a permanent home, however, he had been allowed to get a race car, and drive at the local track on his days off. He could never imagine giving up the sport for good.

“I would die if I had to give up racing for good.” Admitted Zack. “That’s messed up. Tell you what, I’ll talk to your dad and see if I can change his mind. He seems to like me and Ivy, so I think I have a good chance.”

“You would do that for me?” Trey sounded genuinely thankful, but quickly changed his tone. “I mean, sure, whatever. If you really enjoy losing to me, then go for it.”

Zack really didn’t like Trey’s overall attitude, but he was still going to talk to Mr. Sterling.

Zack wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but the next day over lunch, he somehow managed to convince Mr. Sterling to allow Trey to continue racing, on the condition that Trey try and be a little more careful, especially when it came to taking care of his health. Of course, everyone sorta knew that wasn’t going to happen, but Mr. Sterling seemed satisfied with the agreement.

When Zack got home from lunch, Ivy couldn’t help but tease him a little.

“I heard you and Trey are friends know, bro, is that really true?”

Zack shot her a glare. “Shut up, sis, I only did it so I could have the joy of crushing him again on the racetrack.”

Zack and Trey didn’t like each other, but they did have a mutual love of racing, and that gave them a connection of sorts.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to start working on Scars Don't fade again. Can't give you a real estimate on how long it will take, since I've been super busy.


End file.
